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Food labels actually lie to us....its no wonder why understanding nutrition and trying to achieve health-related goals is complicated. The information listed on food labels may be 'legally' correct, which means that they list ingredients in order of highest to lowest proportions, and they list the energy (calories/kilojoules) and macronutrients as per what a 'bomb calorimeter' might tell us, however, where we have gone wrong is that humans DO NOT process calories like a closed-lid machine. The Atwater method for calculating calories was developed in the 19th century and was refined further in 20th century but it is basically the sum of heats of combustion of carbs, proteins and fats in foods plus some factors for digestion which is then converted to total 'calories' present in foods. So not only will a humans digest food at different rates depending on what else they have eaten, they will also not digest a wholefoods, such as a handful of individual raw almonds the same way as the commercially ground variety, its actually up to 30% different. Now also consider our individual gut microbiome, hormone & acid levels which significantly impact our calorie absorption. I understand that individual variation can't be shown on labels, however wholefoods are inherently 'healthy' and it is WHAT we do to the food that is the problem. Our labels only show us what is in a food (or even that can be deceiving as manufacturers intentionally use other names for sugars, fats and salts so that the average person can't decipher them) and not how it has been processed. We should be declaring foods which are 'ultra processed' with a warning statement that they do not act like their wholefood counterparts. Claims on labels are also misleading when they state 'contains wholegrains' (only 51% needed), or 'multi-grain' (means it includes more than 1 grain), or 'no added sugar' (may be naturally high in sugar if dried or processed). The truth is that it's the quality of the ingredients and the degree of processing that matters, and if you are unclear about either of these, then you should buy the whole-foods and make meals yourself, or choose frozen ingredients in combination with fresh for convenience and cost. Frozen is more often better than fresh or canned as freezing naturally preserves the food, so no preservatives, added sugar/salt is needed to keep it so called ‘FRESH’. Some supermarket products are deemed as FRESH for 10-40+ days as they use a process called gas flushing to achieve this extended shelf life. Its common practice to keep meats pink by flushing with them with carbon monoxide, or to stop pathogens growing in chilled ready-made meals by flushing them with carbon dioxide, oxygen and nitrogen.  Be Fit Food we prefer frozen as it locks in the freshness from the moment it was made with nothing added. Watch my Ticker interview with Mike Loder today below or on the Ticker APP; https://lnkd.in/g8Uf3_NK

Are Food Labels lying to you? Learn more about this on the Ticker TV interview with host Mike Loder and expert dietitian and Be Fit Food founder and CEO, Kate Save;

Good to hear some reasoned sense - a good overview here I think to put some sensible perspective back - safe food for the masses produced as economically as possible to meet the needs of the cash strapped is not a cause for unhealthy lifestyles, over indulgence and obesity ! Everything in moderation including portion size & activity should be the aim !

Very interesting article about the impact of ultra-processed foods, with some great charts. In the US (likely the only place where this kind of data is available), the food and soft drinks industry spends nearly twice as much on lobbying than the tobacco and alcohol industries combined, led by processed food and sugar producers. Players in the space are probably right when they claim that they are one of the most transparent industries out there (in many markets, they do list all ingredients they use). But that does not change the overwhelming scientific evidence about the nutritional and health impact of ultra-processed food -which they prefer not to talk about. With obesity rates across the world spiralling, you do not need a lot of data to understand that we have a massive dietary problem. Yet, it is hard to resist the great profits to be made from exploiting our food systems. Do you want to learn about this topic more broadly? Follow Carlos Augusto Monteiro from the University of São Paulo, read Ultra-Processed People from Chris van Tulleken, Gut from Giulia Enders or watch the Netflix documentary Hack your Health which features University College Cork Professor John Cryan - with whom I was lucky to have dinner yesterday. #sustainability #food

Food for thought: There's been a lot of discussion around Ultra Processed Foods lately - so much discussion that UPFs have their own acronym now! I'm seeing a lot of articles pointing fingers at the food industry for making UPFs that promote obesity and diet-related health issues. It seems like we are accusing food manufacturers of making their food too delicious and marketing it accordingly. Is this wrong? I'm trying to think of other industries where we blame the manufacturers for making their product too good. A car that drives too fast? A dress that's too attractive? A cologne that smells too nice? We know that alcohol, cigarettes and vape juice come with warnings and can only be sold to adults. Is it fair to compare UPFs to these? I welcome your thoughts as I think through this issue!

The global market for plant-based meats has skyrocketed, with sales expected to reach USD 24.8 billion by 2030. The surge fuelled by consumers increasingly prioritizing health, sustainability, and ethical considerations. However, recent headlines have sparked worry over claims that ultra-processed plant-based foods might increase the risk of heart disease or stroke. Dr Evangeline Mantzioris PhD APD AccSD from the University of South Australia delves into the research, to separate fact from fiction. Watch our conversation by clicking on the link in comments. #ConversationsShapingOurFuture #PlantBased #Nutrition #HealthFacts #Sustainability #FoodScience

Should we ban - or at least warn against - all ultra-processed foods? To simple questions, we need nuanced answers! The issue with UPFs is that they widely overlap with junk foods. Yes, many are potentially harmful to our health, and we need to better inform consumers. However, some other UPFs appear to be beneficial to health (e.g., bread, plant-based milk). To date, we can’t say that the problem is in the “processing” aspect of a food, so applying UPF as a concept to decide whether a food is healthy or unhealthy is unsatisfactory. I am guilty of using the term ultra-processed foods as a shorthand for ‘unhealthy food’ for lack of better words. ‘junk food’ holds a judgement of value, and ‘nutrient-poor product’ is a bit too technical. Plus, people widely recognise this concept. But the risk here is creating fear of all UPFs and failing to help consumers make the best choice for themselves. #upf #consumerchoice #evidencebasednutrition #nuance https://lnkd.in/ep_-enxT